The present invention relates generally to the field of control systems for lighting devices and in particular to a new and useful electronically addressable device and DMX protocol addressing system for the device.
Theater lighting systems used in stage productions are of ten elaborate and include many different lighting devices and effects devices to produce a desired lighting combination. In recent years, many different aspects of lighting systems have been computerized to improve the ease and speed with which a lighting program for a particular stage show can be set up. While many different control systems are available for this purpose, one protocol which is is generally accepted for use in theater lighting in particular is the DMX protocol. DMX protocol refers to a protocol standard as defined by the United States Institute for Theatre Technology, Inc. (USITT).
Presently, a DMX protocol controller has up to 512 channels transmitted serially to each of any number of connected lighting system devices. Known devices each contain a manually set address circuit which identifies the particular channel or channels that the device will take instructions from the DMX controller. Each of the DMX controller channels has multiple levels, or amplitude settings, to produce different conditions in the connected lighting devices, whether they be dimmers, color mixers, etc. The DMX controller does not produce a digital signal; that is, a binary address cannot be programmed on any one of the DMX controller channels.
A drawback to the known lighting devices used with DMX protocol systems is that the addresses of the devices must be set manually using DIP switches by a person having physical contact with the device. In order to change the address of a particular device, the DIP switches must be reset in the proper configuration for the new address.
When the lighting devices have been mounted on fly rods many feet above a theater stage, this can present a problem. Either the entire fly rod must be lowered to the level of the stage or a stage hand must climb up to the position of the lighting device. When the lighting devices are not mounted on movable theater equipment, but rather in a fixed spot this difficulty is increased. The address switches may be obstructed by other objects as well, including the mounting brackets for the lighting device, further increasing the difficulty of changing the address of a device.
The DMX protocol control system is discussed in connection with the lighting system taught by U.S. Pat. No. 4,947,302. The lighting system is programmable with intensity changes, movements, etc., but the addresses of the lamps and other devices are not programmable.
Other types of lighting systems with digitally addressable devices are known.
For example, a lighting system with programmable addressable dimmers is taught by U.S. Pat. No. 5,530,332, which discusses the problems associated with manually set addressable dimmers and teaches a dimmer which is addressed by first entering a program mode by depressing buttons. An address is then set in the dimmer memory by using a central controller to generate the address location data and send the address to the dimmer. The address location data is a binary word.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,059,871 teaches a lighting system in which individual lamp controllers may have their addresses programmed electronically from a central controller unit. When one of the lamp controllers is placed in a programming mode, a Master Control Unit (MCU) in the central controller unit is used to generate an identification (ID) for the lamp controller. The particular ID is set by incrementing or decrementing any channel on the central controller between 1 and 31. The ID value is shown in binary code on a LED display. The ID in the lamp controller is the address used to select the lamp(s) connected to the lamp controller. The lamp controller may be a dimmer or on/off switch, for example.
A control system with programmable receivers for controlling appliances is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 5,352,957. The receivers may control lights, for example. The original addresses for the controlling receivers are initially set manually, but may be changed electronically once the receivers are connected to the control system. The addresses of the receivers are set automatically based on their positioning within the system, rather than by a person on an arbitrary basis.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,245,705 discloses a memory addressing system in which a central control unit sends a message signal with an address code to several attached devices over a bus interface. Devices which are encoded to accept the address code respond to the message signal. At column 6, lines 3-8, this patent indicates that the functional addresses recognized by a device may be changed using a control message. The memory addressing system is not specifically for a lighting system, but rather, is for use in a general data processing system.
Lighting systems using addressable lamps controlled by computers are also known in the prior art.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,406,176 teaches a lighting system controlled by a personal computer. The computer can address individual lamps which have pre-programmed addresses. However, changing the addresses of the lamps using the computer is not taught.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,392,187 discloses a console-controlled lighting system having addressable lights of the manual set type. The electronic address of each light is set using manual thumb switches. The console sends instructions which are interpreted by the light to which they are addressed.
A series of lighting cues can be programmed and stored in memory in each lamp of the lighting system disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 4,980,806. The different lighting cues, or setups, can be recalled by a signal sent from a central controller. The electronic addresses of the individual lamps are not changed using the controller.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,072,216 discloses a track lighting system having individual lights with manually set address switches contained in the light housings.
None of these prior systems provides a method or system for using a DMX protocol controller to remotely change or set the address of devices connected to the controller.